Create a Green Talent Development Plan

Greenskilling encompasses traditional green skills like renewable energy and carbon accounting, as well as capabilities such as problem-solving and systems thinking. While sustainability expertise is essential within dedicated cross-functional teams, embedding sustainability skills across the entire organization is equally important. Every role can contribute to sustainability, whether it’s reducing emissions, optimizing energy efficiency, or innovating greener products. Often Net Zero goals can feel broad and intangible for many employees. When employees get specificity on function-specific contributions they can make towards company-level goals, real progress is made.  

Providing relevant green skill training has benefits beyond meeting net zero goals. It can also lead to: 

• Financial Outperformance: Research has shown that companies that embed sustainability throughout business operations have 16% higher revenue growth and are 52% more likely to outperform their peers on profitability.¹ A key driver of this success is skill building, with embedded organizations over 80% more likely to be reskilling.  
• Risk Mitigation: equipping your teams to adapt to emerging climate risks and respond to evolving regulations strengthens business resilience. A recent survey found that 77% of employees are uninformed or unconfident about their climate knowledge.² A lack of understanding could lead to ill-informed decisions and pose a risk to companies. 
• Increased Engagement: recruiting and retaining the younger talent will increasingly depend on providing them with opportunities to make their jobs more sustainable, especially as two-thirds of Gen Z say they want a green job within the next five years.³ A skilled green workforce also fosters innovation, enabling your business to meet the growing need for sustainable products and services.  

The result is upskilled, loyal employees who can better meet the needs of the business. This guide outlines the steps businesses should follow to develop a comprehensive talent development strategy for green skills.

Step 1: Assess current skills and gaps and develop an upskilling strategy  

• Identify Critical Green Skills: Sustainability teams and HR teams should work together to analyze the roles and skills needed to achieve your net zero goals. For example, if you are a hardware company with the aim of reducing waste, you will need product engineers who can design more efficient products and procurement teams who can source sustainable materials. Success requires more than just sustainability knowledge, it demands functional expertise, institutional understanding, and transformational capabilities. Alongside employees, it is vital that the Board has sufficient capabilities to assess and manage climate-related risks and opportunities.  
• Conduct a Skills Gap Analysis: Identify your employee’s current competencies by conducting a thorough skills audit. Use surveys and assessments to gauge climate fluency and awareness of net zero goals, identifying any gaps in knowledge. AI platforms can assist with skills mapping and offer personalized learning pathways to guide employees in upskilling. However, human oversight remains crucial, as AI models rely on the quality of input data to be effective.  
• Create a Customized Talent Development Plan: While many businesses focus on hiring sustainability professionals to fill skills gaps, it is often more cost-effective to build, rather than buy, green talent. Existing employees already possess deep institutional knowledge and may only need targeted training in specific, material green skills to adapt their roles to sustainability. For instance, financial analysts can be trained on carbon accounting and sales teams can be trained on net zero strategies and product features. When building your plan, identify employees needing awareness/orientation training versus those requiring deeper skill development. To do this, the UN Global Compact recommends answering 2 questions:  
  • What functions are necessary to drive progress toward current sustainability goals?
  • What functions are perceived to be particularly influential in the company’s value creation?⁴  

Any area with a gatekeeping role over technical knowledge or capital allocators—such as senior management, procurement, risk, finance, and operations—should be prioritized for skill development. Where hiring is needed to fill gaps, ensure HR is using skills-based hiring practices to tap into the full potential of the candidate pool. 

Step 2: Implement a training program 

• Designing Effective Training Programs: Offer a variety of training formats, including on-site workshops, virtual courses, and experiential rotations or apprenticeships, to ensure accessibility for all employees. Flexibility is key, as different employees have varying learning styles and schedules. Work within existing upskilling systems, for example, incorporating sustainability into onboarding processes and employee development platforms such as Workday and LinkedIn Learning. The goal is to ensure employees understand your company’s climate commitments and the implications for their specific role. 
• Collaborate with External Partners: Work with organizations that specialize in green skills development to offer industry-recognized credentials. Centralized hubs including the NZAA Learning Hub and the UN Global Compact provide free foundational sustainability resources, while trade associations and professional educational providers provide technical training on function-specific skills. In addition, online platforms, such as OnePointFive, Terra.do and Climatebase, provide in-depth courses where employees can develop their understanding of key corporate sustainability skills. Encourage employees to utilize professional development funds to invest in these learning opportunities.   
• Encourage Leadership in Green Skills: Identify internal sustainability champions who can disseminate their knowledge to colleagues through peer learning. Consider implementing a “train-the-trainer” model, where select employees receive in-depth training and then teach others in their departments. For example, Henkel, a German multinational chemical and consumer goods company, has a sustainability ambassador training program that encourages employees to contribute to sustainable development in their daily business lives and as members of society. 
• Promote Continuous Learning: Foster a culture of continuous development through regular webinars, workshops, and certifications. As technology evolves and new regulations emerge, it’s important to keep employees updated with the latest knowledge and skills. Ensure that employees understand how sustainability training aligns with their career development and the company’s broader objectives. Outline potential career paths that can evolve as sustainability becomes more integrated into business operations. 
• Harness Employee Motivation: Encourage a “15% culture” where employees are empowered to dedicate 15% (or a designated portion) of their time to pursuing sustainability-focused passion projects. This approach allows employees to apply their skills to sustainability projects, fosters innovation and a sense of purpose while advancing the organization’s sustainability goals. 

Step 3: Measure success and impact  

• Set Clear Metrics for Success: Define success by setting specific, measurable goals such as the number of employees trained, energy savings achieved, the reduction in carbon emissions, value proposition improvement or the increase in employee engagement. Use these metrics to track progress, make necessary adjustments to training programs, and align incentives. For example, Microsoft incorporates specific sustainability metrics into employee performance evaluations to align its workforce with net zero goals. 
• Monitor and Adjust Training Programs: Regularly review the effectiveness of training efforts. For example, if certain areas of the business are lagging in implementing net zero initiatives, revisit the training needs and offer additional support. 
• Share Success Stories: Highlight tangible benefits of upskilling in sustainability both internally and externally. Sharing success stories will reinforce the value of the training, inspire further participation, and showcase your organization’s commitment to sustainability. 

By following these steps, businesses can build a skilled, empowered workforce capable of leading the way toward net zero. Upskilling employees with green skills is an investment in the future—one that drives sustainability, innovation, and long-term resilience. 

Key Green Skill Resources  

• Supply Chain and Procurement Develop and implement strategies for embedding sustainability into your supply chain and procurement practices with these 14 training options. https://trellis.net/article/learn-how-drive-supply-chain-and-procurement-sustainability-these-14-training-resources/ 
• ESG and Sustainable Finance Whether you want to learn how to make more sustainable investment choices or improve your company’s ESG performance, these 28 courses can help. https://trellis.net/article/28-courses-boost-your-esg-sustainable-finance-skills/ 
• Climate and Environmental Justice Designed to help companies navigate their just transition journey and was developed by BSR, The B Team and the We Mean Business Coalition with support from a dozen leading nongovernmental organizations in sustainability and human rights. https://www.wemeanbusinesscoalition.org/just-transition-resource-platform/ 
• Reporting and Disclosure Use these resources to determine your company’s relevant mandates, reporting requirements and new processes.    https://trellis.net/article/navigate-global-sustainability-reporting-and-disclosure-standards-with-these-11-courses/ 
• Circular Economy Principles Learn how to apply circular economy principles at your organization — whether you’re starting from scratch or reimagining the status quo. https://trellis.net/article/14-training-resources-designing-circularity-business-models-and-products/

Footnotes

1. IBM | How to Create Business Value with Embedded Sustainability  
2. Kite Insights | Every Job is a Climate Job 
3. LinkedIn | Global Green Skills Report 2024  
4. UN Global Compact Roadmap for Integrated Sustainability  
5. BCG | Prioritize Talent Within The Sustainability Agenda  
6. OnePointFive | Forget the Sustainability Unicorn. How to Upskill a Climate Workforce